2014 Daisy Nationals. PJS Win Again!!

Friday, July 11, 2014

The 2014 Pierre Jr. Shooters arrived in Rogers, Arkansas on July 2, 2014 wondering what their destiny would be. With weeks of practice behind them, it was time to find out how they would stack up against the best from across the nation.

Day 1, July 5, started off with the prone position at * o'clock sharp, followed by the standing position. At the end of competition on the first day the Pierre team stood in third place behind Spink Co (SD) and Gillaspie Co (GA). After a lunch break, all competitors went to take the safety/rules test, almost always the deciding factor in a national championship run. Because of a new scoring system being used this year, the Orion scoring system, results were being posted almost immediately to the internet. Test scores were also uploaded to the system that afternoon once test correcting was completed. At the end of day one, the Pierre Junior Shooters were in first place by virtue of a near perfect test score - 496 out of a possible 500, garnering them the Paul Tiefer Memorial Award for High Team Test.

Day 2, July 6 would see the competitors showing their skills in the sitting and kneeling positions. Going into day 2 with a slim 6 point lead, parents and coaches were not only watchful of their team, but the other teams as well. The Pierre team extended their lead to 12 points through sitting and maintained that lead through kneeling, coming away with a first place finish with total score of 2375 out of a possible 2500.

Individually, the Pierre team also collected some awards. Cassandra Ryckman was the individual winner, posting an aggregate score of 482. Cassandra has made the most out of her three trips to the Daisy National Championships. Cassandra was an alternate on the 2011 team and a regular team member on the 2012 and 2014 teams, all of which came home with a national championship. Cassandra also has scored a perfect test score all three of those years. In addition to her individual championship, Cassandra was also third in the prone position. Jacob Beastrom was second in the sitting position and just missed the podium in the aggregate total with a 478 total decided by center shots. Ryan Habeck was eighth in the competition rounding out the top ten finishers for the Pierre Junior Shooters. In the alternate division, Zane Schuchard was third in sitting and finished out with a second place aggregate total.